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Thread: Help with setup

  1. #1
    Student
    Join Date
    Aug 2019
    Location
    Cleveland, OH
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    3

    Help with setup

    I am new to 3d printing I just recently bought an Ender 3 for personal use. I was talking with my boss about my printer and he asked me if I would be able to print a part that we are going to start designing a progressive die for. I just want to be sure that I am going to print it right since it is a relatively complex part and I do not want to waste material and time. I am going to attach a few pictures of the model and any tips or help would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

    The approximate dimensions are 1.5" x 1.75" x 2"
    Attached Images Attached Images

  2. #2
    Student
    Join Date
    Aug 2019
    Location
    Cleveland, OH
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    I am using PLA I forgot to add that in my post...

  3. #3
    Staff Engineer
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
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    878
    You've taken on quite a project, especially considering how new you are to the activity.

    Two primary factors, design and position/printing.

    Regardless how you position the part on the print bed, you'll have a ton of support material to be printed to make it work. There are going to be weak points all over the part, because layer lines will fall perpendicular to long edges for every possible combination of orientation.

    Has there been an STL file created? Do you have a preferred program for modeling? If you have engineering drawings, you're a step ahead, as you won't have to generate curves and dimensions and the rest. For this type of project, a parametric modeling program like Fusion 360 is probably a good choice. I'm a fan of OpenSCAD as many of the membership are aware, but building that springy thingy would be a challenge. It would be easier with full 3-view drawings, though, as I'd be able to create solids and negatives and take chunks out until only the spring remained.

    At the very best, you'd get acceptable results by orienting the model to place the large flat areas vertical, and suffer tons of support on the skinny unsupported areas.

    Good luck

  4. #4
    Student
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    Aug 2019
    Location
    Cleveland, OH
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    1598_PART.jpgThanks for taking the time to reply...I have attached the part drawing to my message if that will help. Yes, there is a STL file as we have the step file for the model provided by our customer. As for modeling I prefer to use Inventor but I do not have that downloaded on my personal computer. I recently downloaded Cura for my 3D printing, but I am open to trying new programs since I have only been tinkering with this for about a week or so. Let me know what you think and if I am in over my head lol

  5. #5
    Staff Engineer
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
    Posts
    878
    That's great that you have an STL file, which cuts your workload to a quarter or less.

    In the isometric view of the part, you have what I believe to be the best orientation for printing. Be sure to turn on the "all supports" option, don't restrict it to "from print bed only" or whatever terminology is used in Cura.

    I can't read thickness in the drawing, but if it's not an even multiple of your nozzle diameter, consider to increase the scale to get it close. For example, if the walls are 1.0 mm thick and you have a 0.40 mm nozzle, scale the model up to get 1.20 for wall thickness, 3 lines thick.

    If you need only a scale model and not an accurate to-size model, scale it up even more. It's a small enough part that even double size will not take too long, although the support printing will eat up more time than the model portion.

    If you use Inventor, Fusion 360 won't take you too far away from your comfort zone, as they are both Autodesk products and F360 is free to hobbyists.

    Some makers will consider to tilt the model over to about 30° from vertical, which will increase the number of supports, but provide a bit more bias on the skinny parts, possibly increasing the strength of a very weak model to a merely weak model.

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